Pla Pao

Pla Pao (Thai Salt-Crust Grilled Fish)

A classic Thai riverside dish: a whole fish stuffed with fragrant lemongrass and pandan, sealed in a thick salt crust and grilled until the flesh steams gently within its salty shell.

Prep

25 min

Cook

35 min

Total

60 min

Serves

2-3

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 whole fresh fish (tilapia, snapper or sea bass), ~600-800 g / 21-28 oz, scaled and gutted but left whole
• •30 g (1 oz) fresh lemongrass, 3-4 stalks, lightly smashed
• •5-6 leaves fresh pandan leaves, tied in a knot; substitute with 2-3 kaffir lime leaves if unavailable
• •1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz) coarse sea salt, must be coarse; fine table salt will not set into a crust
• •150 ml (¾ cup) water, for binding the salt crust
• •60 g (¼ cup) rice flour or cornstarch, helps the crust hold its shape on the grill
• •1 sheet heavy-duty aluminum foil or banana leaves, to wrap the fish before the salt goes on
• •1 batch Thai seafood dipping sauce (nam jim seafood), to serve; see serving section

Steps

1. 1 Make the dipping sauce: whisk fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, garlic, chilies and optional carrot together until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to let the flavors meld.
2. 2 Rinse the fish inside and out under cold water and pat very dry with paper towels. Stuff the cavity with the smashed lemongrass stalks and knotted pandan leaves.
3. 3 Wrap the fish snugly in a double layer of heavy-duty foil (or banana leaves), leaving the top open so steam vents upward.
4. 4 In a large bowl, mix the coarse sea salt with the rice flour, then slowly pour in the water and stir until the salt resembles damp sand that holds its shape when squeezed in a fist.
5. 5 Lay the wrapped fish on a tray. Pack the damp salt mixture all over the fish in a thick, even layer about 2-2.5 cm / ¾-1 inch thick, pressing firmly so no flesh is exposed.
6. 6 Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for medium heat, about 175-190 °C / 350-375 °F. Place the salt-crusted fish directly on the grill grate (indirect heat if using charcoal).
7. 7 Grill for 30-35 minutes, turning once carefully with two large spatulas at the halfway mark. The fish is done when the salt crust is hard, lightly golden and sounds hollow when tapped.
8. 8 Remove from the grill and let rest 5 minutes. Place the whole crusted fish on a serving platter and bring it to the table.
9. 9 To serve: at the table, crack the salt crust open with the back of a knife or a small hammer and lift away in large pieces, then unwrap the foil. Lift the skin off whole and spoon the moist, herb-scented flesh onto plates.
10. 10 Eat with steamed jasmine rice and the seafood dipping sauce on the side; pour a little sauce over the fish or dip as preferred.
11. 11 FOOD SAFETY: Cook until the thickest part of the fish reaches an internal temperature of 63 °C / 145 °F (flesh should be opaque and flake easily). Do not eat the fish raw - the salt crust steams, it does not cure.
12. 12 STORAGE: Best eaten immediately. Leftover cooked fish keeps refrigerated up to 2 days; do not save the salt crust for reuse.